If you’ve ever spent the day fishing for your supper, only to catch pinfish and skates, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a waste of time and effort and more importantly, you still have to eat! Throwing back marketing leads feels the same way, but you have a whole lot more to lose. Getting that awaited phone call, or lead from your website, only to find out that they’re not what you're after, can really affect your company’s sales goals. So how do you put the odds back in your favor and start landing more keepers?
Have you truly defined what you’re going after?
Are you casting the net wide and going after anything that swims, or do you have something specific in mind? In many ways advertising is like fishing and to land what species you’re after you have to know your quarry better than they know themselves. What do they eat? Where do they live? Where have most of them been caught? What kind of tackle is needed? What kind of boat is commonly used? How deep are they fished? What time of year are they most active? To be successful you have to do your homework. It takes research and a sound strategy. It takes tedious preparation and flawless execution. You have to identify your primary target and make sure you do everything necessary to land it, to ensure that your advertising and marketing dollars aren’t being wasted.
What can you expect when you sharpen your focus?
What’s the difference between you and your biggest competitors? When all things are pretty much equal it comes down to perceived value, and one of the best ways to create this value is by telling your story better and being more interesting than all the rest. Is your favorite bourbon any better than all the others sitting on the shelf, or did they just do a better job of branding themselves? When a company makes a conscious decision to stand for something and focuses on building their brand, it has the potential to change their business in ways like nothing else can. A brand isn’t just your product, a logo and a tagline – it’s what you do and more importantly, how you do it. When you sweat the small stuff and do what others aren’t willing to do, something amazing happens – you take their customers.
What’s your definition of success?
“Definition” is the keyword here. Without it companies flounder around not knowing what’s working and what’s not. Have you established a “realistic” marketing budget? Do you have a marketing plan with defined objectives? Do you have an action plan with tactics to achieve your goals? Do you have a way of tracking leads and where they came from – or are you just keeping your fingers crossed, hoping for the best? Measuring success is hard to define without these types of initiatives in place. No amount of advertising or marketing can overcome a bad plan, or worse yet, no plan at all.
Make your efforts count.
There’s nothing better than feeling confident about what you’re doing. When you take the time to put a great plan in place, the tables start to turn. The leads that come in seem right up your alley. Sales figures start an upward trend and you’re your new business efforts suddenly feel worthwhile.
Here’s to good fishing!
Tom Lewis, Partner | Creative Director
With over 25 years of professional advertising and design experience, Tom has spent much of his career working with a variety of companies throughout the southeast. His client list includes Lenoir UNC Health Care, Maola Milk, Hutchens Law Firm, Wayne Community College, Craven County Tourism, Nash County Tourism Guardian Repellent, Equifax, Georgia Pacific, Primerica, Weyerhaeuser, The Atlanta Hawks, Randstad Staffing and The Shizzle Jerk Marinade.